Alpha
by BonneyQ
Summary: In a world where Mages are descendants from Werewolves and the general population have no idea about their existence, Lucy Heartfilia finds out about them in the most unexpected way; a way that will change her life forever. AU NaLu
1. Prologue

**AN:** This fanfic was _not_ in my plans. Forgive any crazy stuff.

_This is an __**AU**__, it'll have a different storyline from the Manga, but not all. I'll try to keep as much in character as I can._

In the future will be **rated M**.

English's not my first language, so bear with me. ;)

This is a prequel to my other story: **Omega**, a Gruvia fanfiction**. **It's set around eighteen months before Omega started.

**α**

**Alpha**

**α**

In the world there are a few types of people. Normal and Mages. Of course, as the minority, Mages were not known by society, only a few knew about them. And unlikely the name suggests, they couldn't do magic, even though magic was within them.

Mages were stronger, faster and with senses much sharper than normal human beings. Some even had an extra gift or two. And of course, they had ranks, and those were difficult to argue about. Once a person was born in a rank, they would be in it until death. Changing ranks was almost impossible.

There were Alphas, the ones who take charge, strong, decided and natural leaders. There were Betas, they support the Alphas in whatever way they can and are very loyal. There were the Deltas; they were mostly ordinary, part of the flock and submissive to their Alphas. And of course, there were Omegas, the lowest in the rank: they were bullied, last to receive anything, and were called pathetic often.

It was also general knowledge that a Mage couldn't decide who their mate was. After finding each other, the couple would be marked or not as mates after having intercourse. If it never appeared after six months, the odds were that they weren't meant to be. Most would break off any relationship after said period of time, but a few stayed together even though they were never marked, and were very happy about it.

But to find a mate was not like finding a husband or a wife; it was to find the part of you that you always knew it was missing. At least it was what most of mated Mages would say.

Mages were not known to exist by the Humans, but they often gravitated towards each other, since most acted like a pack of wolves and stayed together, an institution with Mages, was called a Guild and once a Guild was installed, there was an Alpha, a Beta, Deltas and Omegas.

**α**

Lucy Heartfilia was always a nice girl. She graduated from High School top of her class, made the right connections, never got into any trouble, did what was proper and dreamt about the stories her mother told her when she was little.

So, to summon it all: she never _really_ lived.

She never broke a rule, she was always too proper, she was scared to let her father down – he had changed so much since her mother died thirteen years before. But Lucy had a fire inside her, a fire that no one could take away from her.

The girl always dreamt of seeing the world and having adventures of her own; not the ones she remembered her mother telling her, and knew that wouldn't have it if she stayed at the mansion she grew up in; going to the same fancy parties and surrounded by empty people who only care about how many digits there were in someone else's bank account.

So, the moment she turned eighteen and she could access the trust fund her mother left her, Lucy ran away from home.

The bitter side of her brain told her that Jude Heartfilia, her father, wouldn't even _notice_ her absence until there was some party they needed to attend and the blonde girl wasn't around to meet some boring and rude suitor.

The blonde girl knew that her father wanted her to marry some snob as soon as she was of age, but that was not going to happen. With heartache for leaving the wonderful employees of her home and feeling guilty for not care too much for leaving her father, who had become strange, different and empty; she was gone.

With the money, she went to college and with 23 years old, already with a diploma, decided that she would live in a city called Magnolia; it was no metropolis but it wasn't a small village either. She got a job as a journalist at _'Magnolia Today'_, writing small articles about the even smaller news of the town.

Lucy accepted it eagerly: she knew the ladder until she was an investigative journalist was long and hard, but that was the why the girl worked her ass off for the past six years. She had studied, lived in a small apartment and waitressed during night shifts so she could take control of her life.

At first she did hide from her father, but soon enough he found her. It was not a pretty encounter, but Lucy didn't give in. Her dad told her that she would have enough of living like most, that she was coddled and a rich girl who was passing through a phase.

'_Well, dad. Look at me now.'_ The young woman thought with pride as she went to a bar close to her house to meet a few friends. She had a job, she had a nice apartment, and she had friends. Lucy Heartfilia had a life. A life she chose to have and couldn't be happier.

Entering the bar, it wasn't too difficult to spot her friends, since they were always the noisiest people around. And it all started four months before when she was saved by Natsu Dragneel, her current crush.

She spotted him arguing with another friend of hers, Gray Fullbuster and chuckled at the not-so-odd sight. Natsu was taller than her, but a little smaller than the dark haired man. His eyes were in a dark green color, almost black (but Lucy had looked enough at him: they _were_ dark green); his hair was a light tone of pink which made him much more special and unique. He also had a small scar on the right side of his neck – he told her it happened when he was a child, it almost killed him –, and his body, oh hell, his body.

Being a fireman had its perks, Lucy could _clearly_ see. That night he was wearing a sleeveless shirt and boy, were his muscles defined. Underneath the garment, she was certain that he had a six-pack just waiting to be touched by her hands.

The girl blushed slightly and shook her head. Maybe she was spending too much time writing her novel – even though she was a journalist, Lucy also was writing a book: a romance about a princess and her protector, The Dragon (that _may_ be or may be_ not_ based on Natsu) and was almost getting on the part where the Princess and The Dragon consummated their relationship; the brown eyed girl had her imagination go wild, a perk (or _not_, in this case) of being a writer.

As if sensing her presence, Natsu turned to her direction and with the widest smile, a smile that could make a crying child smile back, called her name: "Lucy! Come on or we'll be starting without you!"

"I'm going, I'm going." She laughed and went to drink with them. The celebration was because two of their friends started dating: Elfman and Evergreen, even though they seemed like an unlikely couple, him being so… '_manly'_ while she was a bitchy girly girl, they were _definitely_ together, so their friends decided to go and celebrate.

That night changed Lucy Hearfilia's whole life.

**α**

**AN:** This was supposed to be a massive One-Shot like Omega was at first, but I decided against it; so, it's a three-shot now. Chapter two is already done, by the way, and bigger too haha! I hope to see you next week!

08/10/2013 ~ **BonneyQ**


	2. One

**AN:** Thank ya'll for the support! You are the best!

English's still not my primary language, haha.

**α**

**One**

**α**

"Ow, ow, ow." Lucy couldn't decide what hurt the most: her head or the place between her legs and even though the rest of her was in a delicious cocoon of hotness, some parts of her still ached. She decided that she needed her brain to live, so, chose to take care of it first. She opened her brown eyes and tried to get up from the bed so she could grab some Aspirin, but couldn't. There was a pair of arms wrapped tightly around her waist.

Her eyes went wide as she looked over her shoulder to see who the heck was there. And what happened the night before to make her naked under the covers and…

The memory hit her.

_There were some deep, needy kisses. Hands underneath her blouse, touching her, making her feel like she was on fire. Her back hitting a wall while rough lips kissed its way down from her own lips to her neck, then clavicle, just to go down and down to her breasts._

_She had no idea when, but her blouse disappeared, and so did the other person's, and the skin on skin contact was so nice, so hot._

_A name escaped her lips while the owner's groaned in approval. A hand slipped from her naked stomach down to under her blue skirt and white lacy panties, making the girl let a sigh of surprise and pleasure altogether. Those hands were meant to be there, Lucy thought in her haze. _

_She couldn't remember much of what was done, but there was pleasure like she never felt before, then her lover was lowering her panties and the blonde felt something nudge against her lower half, then a question._

_Too hot to say anything else, she whispered: "Yes" on the man's ear and felt him ease himself into her. There was pain, that was sure, but it was bearable. The rocking movement that came right after that was nice, she knew even in her drunken state. _

_Her hands were deep on her lover's pink hair while he groaned his approval of the situation right on her ear; biting her earlobe. It was nice, she decided. But then, there was another question, a much deeper one, she knew deep inside, but couldn't remember any of it, so, she repeated the affirmative of earlier._

_There was pain on the left side of her neck and she whimpered in agony. Was that a bite? But she really couldn't care because right after it, it was like her blood turned into fire._

_Her hand felt like fire and she barely remember touching her lover on his right arm, a bolt of electricity running through all her body like nothing else she felt on her life. Then there it was again, but this time she felt the pink haired man grab her hand and there it was the bolt again._

_Lucy felt powerful, she felt complete, she felt… she felt…_

Pain.

_Down where their bodies met, there was pain. Something that wasn't supposed to happen was happen and it pained her more than the broken hymen. She remembered whimpered in pain, a few tears were shed and then there was a spill of warmth inside her, the ache subduing a little, but not all of it. _

_She felt a body crash into hers; she felt that he made no movement to come out of her. She remembered feeling the hotness inside her again; but was too drunk and spent to stay awake. _

_Everything went black._

Pink hair. The man – there was a little (little, _yeah right_) something poking her back so she was _sure_ it was a man – had pink hair and even though she couldn't see who it was – his face being pressed on her back and all that – there was only _one_ man with pink hair she knew.

The only man she would allow to take her virginity.

"Oh my god I slept with Natsu." Lucy said to herself.

"It was _hardly_ sleeping." The man replied and the blonde jumped in surprise while felt his arms get tighter around her waist, bringing her closer to his chest and she shrieked and tried to get away. "Man I was drunk."

"Natsu." Her face was red when he felt his lips on her neck where he had bit her that night. Wait. Had he truly _bitten_ her? Why would he do that? And why did it hurt that much after her hymen was torn? Wasn't it supposed to hurt _while_ it happened? She might have a killer headache, but she was no fool. All of that wasn't normal. "Let me go!"

He loosed his grip on her and Lucy immediately got up from the bed, taking the cover with her so she could hide her body. Once she was in a safe distance from the man, she turned around and saw his look of confusion and was very, _very_ naked on her bed.

"Cover yourself!" She shouted, putting a hand over her eyes.

"Why? You saw everything yesterday." His tone was of genuine surprise and when Lucy peeked between her fingers, saw that he had put one of her stuffed animals over his lower half. Well, there was no salvation for old Barney now; the teddy bear would totally go to the trash later. "Lucy, are you okay?"

"Did you bite me?" The blonde asked, looked at him with careful eyes.

"Well… I… Yeah. Yes. I couldn't control it, okay?" Natsu said without taking his eyes away from hers. "Your smell, your touch, you… It's one of those things I can't help myself because I am what I am!"

"Because you are _what_ you are?" The girl caught the word and saw Natsu's whole body tense; she also saw his eyes get softer.

"Lucy… I am not _exactly_ human." He told her after a few moments.

The words echoed through her mind and when they finally sank in, there was only one possibility. "Oh. My. God. You are a vampire, aren't you?"

"What?" Natsu frowned, offended. "Of course _not_! You've seen me in sunlight."

"_Twilight_ has glowing vampires: I believe in anything now, buddy!" Lucy started to think if she had any garlic in her house, just in case. There were no crosses, and sunlight seems to have no effect on him. Garlic was her ultimate weapon.

"Twili…?"

"Of course that had to be my luck! I finally do…" she tried to find the right word for it, but blushed with the thought of what they had done during that night, "_it_, and it's with a vampire that bites me and…" She stopped her ranting. "Did you suck my blood?"

"Lucy, you are being ridiculous." Natsu let out a laugh.

"_Natsu, did you suck my blood?_" She asked again, much more serious and when he caught that, Natsu stopped his laughter.

"No." He assured her. "Can I _please_, explain everything to you?"

The blonde looked uncertain, but didn't have much choice but to let him explain what he was to her. Feeling the ache between her legs grow stronger, she pulled a chair and sat down, staring at him with caution. "Explain."

The pink haired man sat down and fixed the position of Barney when saw that Lucy covered her eyes once again – he fought an eye roll at that –, and started talking. "I am what you can call a Mage."

She waited for him to proceed, but apparently _that_ was his explanation. "A _Mage_?"

"Yes." He nodded.

"And that's a thing now?"

"Yes."

"Natsu, for the love of god, if you tell me that you can pull a bunny out of a hat I'll…" She threatened the boy, who looked scared of what she might do. He had seen her bad side once or twice to know not to mess with Crazy Lucy.

"No!" The pink haired man sighed in annoyance. "I didn't pay much attention in Master's classes, but I do know that we are descendants of Werewolves, but mostly lost their ability to transform."

Again, it seems like Lucy's brain made its bags and gone on vacation, because the blonde thought she heard the word _'Werewolves'_ coming out of Natsu's lips. And werewolves didn't exist, of course. Because it they did, everything she knew to be real would be proven wrong.

'_Yeah, just a few minutes ago you were thinking he was a Vampire and seemed a likely explanation. Why a Werewolf would be different?'_ Lucy thought and felt her head throb more with the possibility of sleeping with a Werewolf.

Yeap, she _was_ in Twilight. She didn't like Twilight. There was always someone trying to kill the main character and she was not ready for that.

"Okay. Okay." The girl got up from the chair, still wrapping the sheet around herself. Ignoring the pain in her lower half, started to walk from one side to another in her small kitchenette in which she lived in. "So, you are a werewolf."

"Mage. I am a _Mage_. When we say the word Werewolf people get a little crazy." Natsu got up and the girl turned around while the man walked around the room. She had hope that he was searching for his clothes. "It's rare to find someone who can actually change. I know only one, actually."

"Change? People can really change?" Lucy turned around again and saw that Natsu was with his back towards her, putting his boxers and couldn't help but notice the tight buttocks and slightly whiter than the rest of his golden body – for being too much time on the outside, training and being gorgeous, she guessed –, and the muscles from his back were moving beautifully while he put the garment on. Lucy could be confused and sore, but still had blood in her veins.

"It's hard to find one, but sure." When finished with the boxers, Natsu raised his arms above his head and stretched: first to the left and then to the right. Lucy bit her lower lip with the demonstration, of course. The pink haired man looked over his shoulder with the same smile that could always shake her world. "Being a Mage is not bad, Lucy. We're just different humans, that's all."

"What are the differences?" Lucy cleared her throat, feeling her cheeks grow warm.

"Strength, sharper senses." The fireman shrugged. "How do you think I found you that day back in Harujion? I smelled you."

"S-Smelled me?" the blonde stuttered, watching him turn his body around. How many times did she dream of seeing Natsu in that situation: partially dressed, with the sunlight bathing his body, while she was wrapped in a sheet, after a night of passion…?

"You smell like…" could be the journalist's mind, but his dark green eyes seemed to become almost black, and sparkled. "You smell like the best thing in the world. I can't explain. It's like…." Natsu gave two steps towards the blonde and without touching her, leaned and took a deep breath. "You smell like _home_." Raising a hand, Natsu removed the straight blonde hair from the woman's neck and touched lightly the teeth marks, the ones he left during the night. "I had to gather all my will not to jump you, you know? But last night…?"

"What did happen last night?" Lucy whispered, everything else forgotten; only Natsu's presence mattered.

"Apparently you can't handle tequila and I get easily drunk with good old whisky." The fireman laughed lightly. "After a few shots, you kissed and, well… I couldn't fight against you that way, not that I wanted to. We ended up here and…"

"Yeah. I… I remember that part." Lucy knew that her face was more than red by then. "We were rather… _enthusiastic_."

"I didn't know how to explain, how to tell you about how it is to be marked. I was never really good dealing with women, and you are special, Lucy" Natsu whispered back to her. "You will always be special."

"Marked?" she asked, still with the same low tone. Natsu's chest was right in front of her, and Lucy could not be a Mage, but she could smell the light fragrance of the cologne the man had used the night before; she loved that cologne.

"Look at my arm." Lucy frowned and looked to the man's left arm, he just laughed. "The _other_ arm."

When inspected the right member of the fireman's, the blonde let her head fall a little to the side when she saw a mar that definitely wasn't there the night before. It was in a brownish color and looked like the common symbol for fire, but inside there was a shape, as if it was a star. When she went to touch, out of curiosity, she realized that, in the exterior part of her right hand, she had a mark that looked a lot like his.

"What the…?" she brought her own hand closer to her face, confused.

"We were marked!" Natsu said in excitement. "And during the first time. Do you know how rare this is?"

"Natsu…?" Lucy felt her lower stomach hurt, as if she was cramping, but let it slide for the moment. "How…? What…?"

"We are Mates." His smile became even wider than before. "We got Bonded during the first time we were together." Putting one of his hands on the back of the girl's neck, Natsu pulled her closer to himself, kissing her with passion and Lucy, without really knowing what else to do and desiring the kiss just as much as he did, reciprocate it. When both needed air again and broke apart to breathe, the blonde could see his dark green eyes glowing with happiness. "I knew it was you at the moment I smelled you in that bar. _I knew it_."

"Wh-Why…?" Lucy showed her own hand to Natsu, the only thing between their bodies was the sheet and his boxers.

"It means we are…" The pink haired man searched for the right word. "You humans call it '_soul mates'_, the shoelaces to your shoe, or some crazy analogy."

"And are we? Soul mates, I mean?" Lucy asked, and the fact that she was accepting it with too little effort was noted lightly by her mind, which was trying to deal with the reality that not only she had sex with Natsu, but she was a Werew… Mage, who could smell her and was now her soul mate.

"No doubts." His smile was so gorgeous that Lucy had to smile back.

"Well, you should've warned be that you were a Werew – Mage before we… you know." Blushing, she looked to the side. "A little preparation would've been nice. And you have a lot explaining to do before I am completely okay with this, Natsu. For example, why did it hurt so much last night?"

"What?" Natsu's smile disappeared in a nanosecond. "What hurt?"

"You know… after you, "Lucy sighed "was _there_" she whispered "and after you bit me… there was another pain, a stronger one."

"Pain…?" Natsu looked over her shoulder, in the direction of the bed and then again to the blonde.

"Damn cramps!" She said, massaging her lower abdomen, which was starting to hurt again; she wasn't supposed to be feeling that.

"Wait, is that… blood?" He stared at the bed, where a big red stain could be found. "I… I didn't smell that…"

"Natsu…" The blonde saw his mind working, putting two and two together, remembering the night they shared and saw the exact moment as everything clicked inside his mind and immediately felt bad for him.

"Did _I_ do that?" The man paled. "Lucy, did I hurt you?"

"Natsu, it's normal for a woman to feel pain during her first time. And to bleed." Not _that_ much, she guessed, but Lucy tried to reassure him, but he probably saw that she was lying about something; it did hurt more than it should.

"I _did_, didn't I?" He gave two steps back away from her. "I've never… with a human. Was it the knot? Oh, fuck. Lucy, I didn't know it would…" Panic was evident in his expression.

"I…" Her lower stomach cramped and she moaned in pain, confused of what was happening. It seemed like the bad months when she had cramps. "I don't feel so good."

"Lucy? Lucy!" She heard him call her name, but her eyelids kept getting heavier and heavier, her knees turned into jell-o, the pain surrounded her and she met darkness once more.

**α**

When she woke up later, Lucy heard a female and strange voice and then Natsu's and felt better right away knowing that he was there. When she – did she? – passed out, he was so bothered about hurting her; she was afraid he would've left.

"Oh, you are awake." The woman spoke as soon as Lucy's chocolate eyes were open. The girl had to blink a few times to get used to the light. There was a pink haired woman, in her sixties, Lucy guessed, sitting next to her in bed. "How are you feeling?"

"I…" Lucy tried to feel her body and noticed that everything ached, not only her lower stomach anymore. It was as if she had run a marathon without any preparation. "Sore all over." The girl managed to say.

"It's to be expected." The woman's green eyes wandered over Lucy's – now covered with a nightgown – body; and then offered her some pink liquid that was way too sweet and then a glass of water, which the girl accepted eagerly. "You are changing and the process is quite a burden for some."

"Changing? What do you mean?" Lucy asked, confused.

"When I bit you," Natsu's voice made Lucy turn her head to search for him. The man was sitting in the same chair she sat when he asked her to explain what he was to her. His eyes were clouded, his shoulders low; he was not his normal self. "I didn't know, but apparently, when a Mage bite his human Mate after being marked, it starts the change." He buried his face on his hands. "I'm sorry, Lucy. I had no idea I would hurt you even more."

"_Natsu…_" The girl wanted to pet his head and tell him everything would be alright even though she was confused and hurting all over, even though she made quite a scene when they woke up together in the same bed, deep down she knew he would _never_ hurt her on purpose.

"The young boy explained to me what happened." The old woman told her and even though Lucy was listening, she didn't tear her eyes away from Natsu's broken form. "He called me, yelling, telling me that he thought he killed you." She stopped. "Silly, of course. For many generations now there hadn't been a Mage killing a human during mating. But when he told me about the bite, though…" The woman sighed. "The magic that runs through his body is now being shared with you." Lucy finally moved her eyes towards the other woman. "This magic is making you change into a hybrid: half human and half Mage, so in the future you can carry his pups, or in human words: babies.

"Your physiology is changing and that hurts, that's why you have a fever," only then the girl noticed that she was overly hot, even her eyes felt hot if it was possible, "and that's why you were probably cramping as well: you are changing so you can accept the knot."

"Knot?" Lucy's eyelids were getting heavy once again.

"Rest now. I gave you a medicine so you can sleep through the change. Don't worry, you'll be alright. The boy is making a fuss over nothing." The blonde woman looked over to Natsu once again and he was staring back at her, his eyes troubled. Sleep was taking over her and the girl couldn't tell him, but she thought: _'Don't make those sad eyes; it makes _me_ sad.'_

**α**

When she opened her eyes once again, she felt much better and realized how tired she was of waking up after drinking, passing out, being given a sedative and wake up after god knows how much later just to find herself confused once again. With a groan, the blonde moved her body just to find it a little sore, but not nearly as hot as when the old woman was there. She actually felt pretty good.

"Lu-chan?" Oh, that voice she knew.

Levy McGarden was her best friend if she didn't count Natsu, of course. She was a petite blue haired librarian who was just too sweet for her own good. Her eyes were brown, darker than her own, and very wide. She had confessed to Lucy that not to have a large chest was a trouble for her, even though the blonde didn't see what was wrong with Levy's breasts: they were pretty normal sized.

"Levy-chan?" Lucy sat on her bed and saw the woman in question coming out of her kitchen. "What… What are you doing here? Where's Natsu? And that old woman?"

"I am so glad you are okay." The blunette sighed in relief, sitting by Lucy's side. "That old woman's name is Polyuska, she's a Mage doctor, even though she's not one herself. She went home; you have been asleep for a whole day."

"And… Natsu? How about him?" Lucy asked, feeling desperate to have him on her sight once again.

"He left two hours ago, just after I arrived." Levy told her softly. "He filled me in on what happened. I am happy that you two got marked, of course, but he was so beat to know that he hurt you somehow." The smaller woman grabbed Lucy's hand and put between hers. "By the way, how are you feeling?"

"Much better." The blonde journalist sighed. "I am starving, though."

"Good thing I am making pancakes." The blue haired woman smiled. "Go take a shower while I finish, then we can talk about everything that happened, okay?"

"Thank you, Levy-chan."

Being the smart woman she was, the librarian's suggestion really acted out. The tense muscles began to relax as soon as the hot water started to fall by her shoulders. So many things had happened in the past 48 hours, and she had slept for half of it, according to Levy,

When she got out of her shower, the journalist felt much better. Put a brown shorts and a simple white t-shirt, deciding to let the blonde locks to dry naturally.

Arriving in her kitchen, her stomach made a loud noise when the smell of the pancakes made its way to her nostrils. She saw that there was already a plate prepared for her, since Levy had one in front of herself and was apparently just waiting Lucy so they could eat.

The journalist thanked the blunette and started to eat with eagerness. It was probably disgusting to see her that way, but couldn't control herself: she was so hungry.

After finishing it, let out a satisfied sigh and turned to the petite woman, who was gathering the dishes and putting on the sink. "Thank you, Levy-chan: you saved my life. I don't think I'd have the strength to cook."

"No problems, Lu-chan." Giggling, Levy returned to sit in the chair by Lucy's side. "But, now I know that you have many questions, don't you?"

"I don't even know where to start." Lucy made a distressed sound and let her head fall towards the bed and letting it rest there. "Werewolves that are called _Mages_? A Knot that can hurt me? Natsu and I have something called _Bonding_? And that's just the things I can _remember_!"

"Your mind is probably twirling like crazy." Levy said calmly. "That's why Natsu asked me to come: he thought I would explain better what it means to be a Mage, our costumes. You know that he is a sweet, but the words run away from him, huh?" Lucy, still with her forehead resting on the table, let out a small laugh. That was so true. He could be the deepest man alive in certain moments, but usually was just a silly overgrown child.

'Her_ overgrown child'_, a possessive feeling took over Lucy like she never felt in her life. It was a mix of happiness and smugness for knowing that Natsu was hers and hers alone.

It came with such rush and it was so sudden that the woman returned to the upright position, startling even Levy. "What…?"

"Lu-chan?" The blunette had a frown on her face. "What is it?"

"When we talked about Natsu, I felt…" the blonde put a hand over her right breast,

"Did you miss him?"

"Yes. I have been missing him since the moment I opened my eyes. But this time… it was possessiveness." Lucy explained and Levy smiled.

"That's great, Lu-chan! That means that the Bond is activated!" the blue haired woman got up from the chair and went to the journalist kitchenette's door, opened a backpack, took a book from it and then returned right after.

"First of all: I am a Mage as well." Levy sat down once again. "And everyone Natsu introduced you, everyone from Fairy Tail, they are Mages too."

"Excuse me?" Lucy was officially impressed. She guessed that the smaller woman was too, but everyone in Fairy Tail?

"Yes, everyone. It's not a club, Lucy: Fairy Tail is a Pack." The librarian explained. "Try to follow me, okay?" the blonde nodded slowly, still surprised. "We are descendants of Werewolves, like Natsu explained to you, and, since we have this genetic difference, we are different from humans: we are stronger and sharper senses, right? Nothing more natural than to feel the need to have a pack. Wolves are beings that like to be around others, they don't like to be alone; they prefer to have a pack. But calling a pack nowadays would be weird, we use the term 'Guild'. In the Guilds, just like in wolves packs, there are ranks."

"Alphas, Betas…" Lucy said, recalling vaguely from a presentation she saw about wolves when was in eighth grade in a science fair.

"Yes: Alphas, Betas, Deltas and Omegas." Levy nodded, excited that the journalist was getting her explanation. "As you probably know, the Alphas are the leaders. Right behind, there are the Betas, like me." The woman smiled. "We are the 'support team', so to say, the seconds in command and we take care of the Guild in case the Alpha is absent." Lucy listened eagerly, trying to assimilate all the information she was receiving. "Right after, there are the Deltas. They are ordinary, the rest of the Guild – I'm not trying to be insensitive about it, of course – . And there are Omegas." The librarian bit her lower lip and hesitated for a moment. "We don't have Omegas in Fairy Tail. We would prefer to categorize them as Deltas if we had one." She stopped for a moment. "In other Guilds, Omegas are the outcasts, mistreated and bullied."

"Why?"

"People say that they are necessary to keep the Guild's moral, so the members can free their energy by mistreating the Omegas." Levy looked down, ashamed. "Unfortunately is the reality in other Guilds."

"That's awful!" Lucy said, mouth opened in horror. "But… Fairy Tail…?"

"We don't have any Omegas, as I told you. If we ever do, we won't treat them that way, I assure you." Levy shook her head, as if clearing her thoughts. "Well, did you get this part?" When the blonde nodded, the other woman proceeded. "Well, we are already different that way, but there's also the magic part of it."

"Magic?" Lucy frowned, recalling vaguely that the woman called Polyuska mentioned the day before.

"Yes. All of our existence is due to magic. Many centuries ago, a goddess cursed a village: every full moon the villagers would turn into beasts: half men and half wolf. Years later, a woman called Mavis offered her life in exchange of the freedom of all, so called back them, Werewolves. We don't know why the goddess accepted it, but she ended the curse, not entirely, though. A curse that strong couldn't be totally lifted, so, some elements stayed. The inhuman strength, better smell sense, taste and better vision too. And, of course, the Bond. Wolves are known for having only one Mate for life, right?" again, the memory of the presentation back in her eighth grade hit her and then, the blonde nodded. "With Mages is the same thing: we also have Mates?"

"And how do you find this… Mate? How to know which one is yours?" Lucy asked highly interested, and, for the first time that day, she saw the blunette blush very hard.

"The smell helps to identify a probable Mate, but… Well… It's necessary to… Its' necessary to have sex to know." The librarian whispered and, when finally understood the words, Lucy also blushed. "During the first time, like it happened to you and Natsu is extremely rare: it means that your souls were synchronized. Usually it takes three to four months for a couple to get the Bond. After a six months try is almost impossible to obtain it."

"What does it means? To obtain the Bond?" the blonde asked more interested in that part of the conversation than all the others.

"See this mark?" Levy took Lucy's right hand and showed the brownish mark that the journalist noticed the day before when Natsu was still in her room. "Natsu has one just like it, right?" Lucy nodded. "While you were being…_ intimate_, your souls found each other. You marked him as soon as you touched him and he did the same. You are now part of each other. Stay too long away from him will make you feel pain, and vice versa; it's extreme and you can't breathe, can't concentrate."

"Wow."

"Yes, it's pretty deep." Levy smiled. "Natsu is your man, Lu-chan. He's the one you've been waiting and never knew you did. You are lucky to find your other half."

Lucy got up from her chair and started to walk from one side to another, thinking about all the information she received. So, that's why Natsu was always around, smiling at her and making her fall in love with him more and more? Even he said that he knew about them being mates.

And maybe, deep down, even Lucy knew he would be the one to take her heart forever. Since the moment he saved her, since that instant, her heart had been stolen from her chest, and the blonde was a fool for not realizing sooner.

Before he marked her, she was already his. Only _her_ silly fireman didn't know that.

Not anymore.

Lucy put a hand on the left side of her neck, where Natsu had bitten her. It didn't hurt anymore, but, earlier after the shower, the woman looked herself in the mirror and saw that Natsu's teeth mark were less evident, even as the place was slightly purple; any normal person would think that the 'magic bite' was a hickey.

"And the change?" Lucy turned to the librarian. "I heard Polyuska-san say something about changing my physiology."

"Well, that's why I brought this book." Levy showed said book, the one she had taken from her backpack. Lucy returned to her seat by Levy's side and could see that it was a book about wolves anatomy. She looked up to her friend in confusion. "It's not like we can have books about Mages anatomy, Lu-chan. This is better than nothing." Opening a previously marked page, Levy put the book in front of the blonde. "Read the highlighted parts."

Nodding, Lucy turned her eyes towards the page and could read: '_Toward the base of the penis is the bulbus glandis, also called the knot, which swells into the female's vagina to tie the male and female together during coitus. The knot prevents the mating pair from parting until after insemination has taken place.'_ The blonde's mouth made a perfect 'O' when she finally understood what the Knot everyone talked about was, and then, resumed her reading; _'During copulation the male thrusts his penis into and out of the female's vagina while shifting his weight from one leg to the other in order to work his bulbus glandis into her. This locks the male's penis into the female's cervix, which undulates to stimulate his penis to erection. Erection expands the bulbus glandis and ties the two Wolves together; thus coitus is achieved. Once coitus is achieved, the female's vaginal sphincter muscles tighten around the male's bulbus glandis to hold it firm as she pulls forward, triggering ejaculation of semen into the uterus.' _The highlighted part ended there, but lower there were more lines_. '(…)until the end of the tie, which may last up to 35 minutes.'_

"Thirty five minutes?" Lucy didn't realize, but she spoke out loud and startled Levy, who started to laugh.

"Calm down, Lu-chan. I heard Cana say that the knot looses itself in about fifteen minutes, and it's not that bad." The girl rolled her eyes. "She even said that is pleasurable to the Mage."

"But I am not a Mage!" Lucy said in panic. "That's why it hurt so much when Natsu and I…"

"You are forgetting the bite, the change!" Levy's brown eyes were sparkling with excitement. "Natsu's magic made you to change from Human to Hybrid, exactly with the purpose of make your body to accept the knot. The pain you felt it was because your body wasn't ready. It is now."

Lucy looked at the blunette with doubts. "You think so?"

"Sure." The librarian smiled with calm. "Now you are one of us, Lucy. Now you and Natsu can be together without a worry in the world. And, knowing that man, he'll be even more careful with you than he already was."

**α**

A day later, Lucy had sent many texts to the pink haired fireman, but he hadn't replied. The blonde received a call from Gray a few hours earlier telling that Natsu was dealing with what he did and to not to worry: two bonded people couldn't stay away from each other for too long without any contact. He would show up when the pain was too much to bear.

The problem was that, as a hybrid, Lucy started to feel the need to have him by his side, to hold him. IF just being partially Mage, the feeling was ripping her apart; she could only imagine what was happening to Natsu.

During the whole day at work, the girl had stared at the fire with the star mark on her right hand – she finished the article she needed due early – and thinking about the world she was now part of. The world Natsu took her to.

She didn't really mattered, really. It wasn't anyone's fault: neither hers not Natsu's. It was just one of those things that most expected to happen to themselves, but never did. Perhaps in the end, the journalist was the lucky one?

What else existed out there? If Werewolves were real, what else was? Maybe there were really Vampires. And Ghosts. Fairies, maybe?

When she arrived home, Lucy went straight to take a shower and, right when she finished, heard a soft knock on the door. She knew who it was.

She smelled _him_.

Natsu.

_Her_ Natsu.

Maybe having sharper senses was not a bad thing, she thought while ran to open the door.

Natsu Dragneel looked like shit. Messier hair than usual, bags under his eyes and seemed like he hadn't eaten in days. But he was there. Was there to see her.

Inside herself, a new side of herself, a voice screamed _'Mine, mine, mine!'_, while Lucy tried to hold the big relieved smile. Seen him made the knot on her stomach to loose.

"Natsu." Lucy tried to speak, but was interrupted by the man's tired voice.

"We don't need to have sex _ever_ again, Lucy" he said looking to the ground. "It hurts you and I don't want to hurt you. Ever. I just want to be by your side. I tried to stay away, really did, but it hurts too damn much. I'll get horny from time to time, but I have two hands that have been helping me with this problem for years. But if I lose them, then it's up to you." He mumbles and Lucy almost didn't get his words. She smiled and threw herself in the fireman's arms, who seemed surprised by the action.

"What hurts the most is have you away from me, you silly man" Lucy whispered and then, felt the firm body of the man to relax and put his arms around her waist, while pressed his face against the blonde's neck, and she could feel his warm breathing.

Pulling the pink hair so she could face him, Lucy tip toed and, with a smile, gave him a light kiss on the lips. The journalist felt Natsu's arms get tighter and then, after the sweet kiss, both rested their foreheads in one another's.

"We need to talk, but I missed you."

"It hurt me to be away." Natsu whispered and the, both entered the kitchenette.

**α**

**AN:** I hope you guys liked the chapter! It sure was fun to write! :D

About the knot, I got the information here: .org (slash) Anatomy

Special thanks to: **Medaka-chan****, Guest, Guest, SakuraUchigoDark, YamixTeaLover, Lavi-hime 4E -3, SereneButterfly23, Miho, bookwurm247, GoldenRoseTanya, MrsGooglyBear, otaku03, ff, Guest, Broken-Roses-Dragon-Heart **and** Apeiros**, who reviewed last chapter! And thanks to everyone who favorited and put in alert! You guys are amazing!

I hope to keep seeing you guys here!

08/18/2013 ~ **BonneyQ**


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